Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.1250.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KHC. BTIG Research started coverage on Kraft Heinz in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Kraft Heinz from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Kraft Heinz from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Kraft Heinz from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Kraft Heinz from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th.

Kraft Heinz Stock Up 0.7%

KHC stock opened at $25.96 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Kraft Heinz has a 52-week low of $21.03 and a 52-week high of $29.19. The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.34 and a beta of 0.09.

Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.08. Kraft Heinz had a positive return on equity of 7.26% and a negative net margin of 23.05%.The company had revenue of $6.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.62 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Kraft Heinz has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.980-2.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kraft Heinz will post 2.07 EPS for the current year.

Kraft Heinz Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. Kraft Heinz’s dividend payout ratio is -32.92%.

Key Headlines Impacting Kraft Heinz

Here are the key news stories impacting Kraft Heinz this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kraft Heinz announced a multiyear strategic alliance with The Walt Disney Company that makes KHC an exclusive supplier of select condiments, macaroni and cheese, and cream cheese across Disney’s North American theme parks, resorts, and cruise lines, while also adding character licensing and co-marketing opportunities. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The Disney deal could give Kraft Heinz more brand visibility and help revitalize key products like Heinz, Kraft Mac & Cheese, and Philadelphia through broader consumer exposure in parks, cruises, and media. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports noted that investors are not yet changing earnings expectations because the alliance is viewed as a branding and marketing win more than a near-term profit driver. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation-focused coverage continues to frame KHC as potentially undervalued, but that thesis depends on the company proving it can translate brand partnerships and other initiatives into better sales momentum. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Separate commentary warns that Kraft Heinz, along with other big food names, is losing its grip on shoppers, with recent efforts such as lower prices and protein-focused product changes failing to meaningfully reverse weak consumer engagement. Article Title

Insider Transactions at Kraft Heinz

In other Kraft Heinz news, insider Diana Frost sold 18,502 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total value of $426,471.10. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 102,667 shares in the company, valued at $2,366,474.35. This trade represents a 15.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kraft Heinz

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KHC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Kraft Heinz by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 102,933,219 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,496,131,000 after buying an additional 616,283 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Kraft Heinz by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 19,725,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $478,347,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870,310 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its holdings in Kraft Heinz by 3,034.1% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 16,477,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,957,000 after acquiring an additional 15,951,271 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Kraft Heinz in the 4th quarter worth approximately $332,382,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Kraft Heinz by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 9,893,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,922,000 after acquiring an additional 341,197 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.17% of the company’s stock.

Kraft Heinz Company Profile

The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC) is a global food and beverage company formed in 2015 through the merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company. The combination created one of the largest packaged-food companies in the world, built around well-known consumer brands. The merger was supported by major investors and established a multi-national platform for branded food products.

Kraft Heinz develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of branded packaged foods and condiments.